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We follow clay pigeon shooter John MacDonald, | 0:00:02 | 0:00:05 | |
from the Highlands of Scotland to Delhi... | 0:00:05 | 0:00:07 | |
-Pretty much a dream come true, here. -..and beyond... | 0:00:07 | 0:00:10 | |
It's just dawned on me where I am. | 0:00:10 | 0:00:12 | |
..as he strives to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:15 | |
You can see how much it does mean. | 0:00:15 | 0:00:17 | |
My main thing is just never give up. | 0:00:17 | 0:00:19 | |
31-year-old John MacDonald, also known as Shonnie, | 0:00:40 | 0:00:44 | |
is one of Scotland's top clay pigeon shooters. | 0:00:44 | 0:00:47 | |
He lives in Acharacle in the West Highlands | 0:00:48 | 0:00:51 | |
where he runs a deer stalking and venison business. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:55 | |
Shonnie's family is hugely important to him. | 0:00:56 | 0:00:59 | |
He lives with his girlfriend, Emma, and two minutes from his father, | 0:00:59 | 0:01:03 | |
Fergie - the well known traditional musician - | 0:01:03 | 0:01:06 | |
his mum, Maureen, and sister, Morven. | 0:01:06 | 0:01:08 | |
He regularly plays in the family band. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
You're getting better, boy. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:13 | |
With very little financial backing, | 0:01:15 | 0:01:18 | |
Shonnie has to work full time to fund his passion - shooting. | 0:01:18 | 0:01:22 | |
Shonnie is about to embark on a momentous 18 months | 0:01:22 | 0:01:26 | |
as he tries to hard to represent Team GB in the London Olympics 2012. | 0:01:26 | 0:01:30 | |
I had my first shot of a shotgun, I think I was about eight year old. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:38 | |
We put a... I think it was a can of Coke up | 0:01:38 | 0:01:41 | |
and I blew the can off the post, that was the first shot I ever had. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:45 | |
When he was two, we bought him a gun and we put a cork in it | 0:01:45 | 0:01:50 | |
and he used to sit in the pram and the flies on the roof - | 0:01:50 | 0:01:54 | |
at two, he would plaster them. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:57 | |
So he was two when he fired his first shot. | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
As a youngster, he was an awesome shot | 0:02:03 | 0:02:05 | |
and in fact was the Scottish champion. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:07 | |
When he was 15 years old - | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
not Scottish junior champion, he was the Scottish champion. | 0:02:09 | 0:02:12 | |
He beat all the best shooters in Scotland. | 0:02:12 | 0:02:15 | |
Shooting is in Shonnie's blood. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:18 | |
His grandfather was a renowned sniper in World War I. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:22 | |
They were sniping in no man's land, which must have been horrendous. | 0:02:22 | 0:02:27 | |
His parents are also accomplished shooters. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:30 | |
As far as Scotland goes, Fergie here was shooting for the men. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:36 | |
Maureen here, she was in the ladies' squad. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
Then we've got John here. So that's Mum, Dad and John. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:43 | |
It's a very family thing. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:45 | |
I won a lot as a junior, | 0:02:45 | 0:02:47 | |
I lost interest and I went for things like football and stuff. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:52 | |
Just a few year ago there, | 0:02:52 | 0:02:53 | |
I thought I'd go back and just have a go at it. | 0:02:53 | 0:02:57 | |
Ranking wise, I'm lying in second position at the moment, | 0:02:57 | 0:03:01 | |
obviously there's room for improvement. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
In terms of the Scotland team, at the moment I'm lying first | 0:03:06 | 0:03:11 | |
so that's putting me right in line for the Commonwealth Games in India. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:15 | |
In Great Britain, to qualify for the team, we have five selection shoots. | 0:03:18 | 0:03:22 | |
There's none in Scotland, sadly, | 0:03:22 | 0:03:24 | |
so they're all kind of away games for us, if we think about it like that. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:28 | |
What people tend not to realise is that being away, | 0:03:28 | 0:03:32 | |
as far up here as we are, | 0:03:32 | 0:03:34 | |
I'm probably the first to leave of any of the shooters | 0:03:34 | 0:03:37 | |
and probably the last to return. | 0:03:37 | 0:03:39 | |
Shonnie has broken into this rich man's sport | 0:03:39 | 0:03:44 | |
and is now shooting on the world stage. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
However, his financial circumstances dictate the number of competitions he can attend. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:52 | |
People don't actually grasp how differently we live up here, really. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:56 | |
When I'm away at these shoots, tensed up, needing to clear your mind, | 0:03:56 | 0:04:00 | |
you think of good things. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:02 | |
One of those things is always being with the deer. | 0:04:02 | 0:04:05 | |
Away from the deer here, I always miss my stalking. | 0:04:05 | 0:04:08 | |
It's quite hard to say that you miss your work | 0:04:08 | 0:04:12 | |
but it's always good, returning home to it. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:16 | |
Shonnie regularly goes stalking with long-term friend and mentor, Angus MacLean. | 0:04:16 | 0:04:21 | |
Since Johnny was able to walk, he was coming up the hill, | 0:04:21 | 0:04:24 | |
and now, of course, he's of course 150% better than me at it, | 0:04:24 | 0:04:30 | |
but he's younger. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:32 | |
It doesn't really matter what he does, it's 150% all the time. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:38 | |
But you would never know it | 0:04:38 | 0:04:40 | |
because he would be the last person to say anything. | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
(That's them, they're in between these two hills ahead of us here.) | 0:04:43 | 0:04:48 | |
People probably see me at home with all the pet deer thinking, | 0:04:55 | 0:04:59 | |
"How on earth can he possibly kill an animal as beautiful as a deer?" | 0:04:59 | 0:05:03 | |
And they are beautiful, but it's my work. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:05 | |
As you can see, first class. | 0:05:05 | 0:05:08 | |
And it doesn't matter what he does, whether it's shooting | 0:05:08 | 0:05:12 | |
or playing music, he's got great things ahead of him. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:15 | |
Shonnie leaves the hills of Moidart behind | 0:05:15 | 0:05:18 | |
and turns his attentions to his first World Cup in Dorset, England. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:22 | |
Each World Cup offers international shooters the chance | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
to win an Olympic quota place for their country. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
A quota place guarantees that someone from that country | 0:05:28 | 0:05:31 | |
will compete in the 2012 Olympics. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:33 | |
At this World Cup, he's competing against people | 0:05:45 | 0:05:49 | |
who've been competing at a world level, sometimes for 20 years. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:54 | |
So for a wee boy from Acharacle, it's quite a thing to think about. | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
Shooters will compete over two days, | 0:05:58 | 0:06:00 | |
participating in three rounds per day. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:03 | |
They will shoot 25 targets per round, | 0:06:03 | 0:06:05 | |
getting two attempts to hit each clay. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
The boys that are shooting, they have a laugh - | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
every time I appear at a shoot, I've got someone different with me. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:15 | |
Not women, normally, but Mum comes with me, Dad comes with me, Emma. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:21 | |
The first time I ever came to the selection shoots, | 0:06:21 | 0:06:24 | |
it was my sister, Morven. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:26 | |
It good having that, especially Emma, we're close, we get on well. | 0:06:26 | 0:06:31 | |
Chocolate brownies, made on the premises. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:35 | |
I need that for my shooting, that's part of my routine. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
She makes them... Even if she's not with me, she makes a box, don't you? | 0:06:38 | 0:06:41 | |
Aye, which your dad was loving last time. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:43 | |
He ate more than I did. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:45 | |
"That brownie, I just love it, Emma." | 0:06:45 | 0:06:47 | |
It's about the worst thing you could possibly eat | 0:06:47 | 0:06:50 | |
but for the purposes of sport, I guess it's allowed. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | |
It's about the only time you're allowed something like that. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:57 | |
Whether it's right or not, it works for me. | 0:06:57 | 0:07:00 | |
I think you like eating it and using that as a good excuse, | 0:07:00 | 0:07:04 | |
that's what I think. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:05 | |
But it's damn good brownie. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:07 | |
You need strong support in the background. | 0:07:07 | 0:07:10 | |
There's a lot of women whose husbands shoot | 0:07:10 | 0:07:12 | |
and what they don't get on well with is the fact that their husband | 0:07:12 | 0:07:17 | |
loves something more than he loves them, and that causes a lot... | 0:07:17 | 0:07:20 | |
And of course, it's expensive. Any athlete, it's the same. | 0:07:20 | 0:07:23 | |
If the person that's with them doesn't want to go along... | 0:07:23 | 0:07:27 | |
well, I'm sorry. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:28 | |
Like it or lump it, it's a case of just get on with it. | 0:07:28 | 0:07:32 | |
"Bye-bye, John." | 0:07:32 | 0:07:33 | |
John, of course, manages this between rounds properly. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:39 | |
The coolest person you could come across. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:41 | |
Aye, but it's like the old swan on the surface of the water - | 0:07:41 | 0:07:44 | |
you don't know what's going on with his feet. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:47 | |
The feet below. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:48 | |
He's a strong man, mentally, and that's what you've got to be. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:52 | |
I suppose in his genetic make-up, with the father that he has | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
and the grandfather that he has, and whatever else, | 0:07:56 | 0:07:59 | |
it's just in him, aye. | 0:07:59 | 0:08:01 | |
After a disappointing first day, day two starts well, | 0:08:03 | 0:08:06 | |
with Shonnie shooting 24 clays out of 25 in his first round. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:10 | |
However, he's beginning to realise how stiff the competition really is. | 0:08:10 | 0:08:14 | |
It's a complete eye-opener - | 0:08:14 | 0:08:15 | |
you've got to come here to see the best in the world, | 0:08:15 | 0:08:19 | |
and they really are - averaging 24s, 25s all the time. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
In order to compete against that, that's what I've got to step up to. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:27 | |
25 straight, can't complain at that. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:29 | |
Shonnie is delighted with full marks for round two. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
Can he maintain his performance and make the final? | 0:08:37 | 0:08:41 | |
Very proud. | 0:08:49 | 0:08:50 | |
Shot as well as I could have hoped for. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:54 | |
Well, at least I've got the backing there, anyway, eh? | 0:08:54 | 0:08:57 | |
Despite not making the final, | 0:08:59 | 0:09:01 | |
Shonnie leaves Dorset with an impressive 118 out of 125. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:06 | |
It's been four months since the World Cup in Dorset. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:11 | |
Shonnie is now ranking UK number one. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
However, he has had little time to think about | 0:09:14 | 0:09:16 | |
or practice for the imminent Commonwealth Games in Delhi. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:20 | |
I've been three years building up to the Commonwealth Games | 0:09:20 | 0:09:23 | |
and then they hit you with a date. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:25 | |
You couldn't have picked three worse weeks in the year for me. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:28 | |
I've been working up until the last minute here, | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
flat out with the deer stalking. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:33 | |
Once I got the last stag this morning, hanged it up | 0:09:33 | 0:09:36 | |
and now I'm switched off from work and everything. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
I've organised it pretty well for the thing to run smoothly while I'm away | 0:09:39 | 0:09:45 | |
so that should do, it should be fine. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:47 | |
But it's just focusing now on Delhi and everything that's going to be | 0:09:47 | 0:09:52 | |
thrown at me over the next three weeks. | 0:09:52 | 0:09:54 | |
I spent a day and a half trying to install all this myself | 0:09:54 | 0:09:59 | |
and I'm certainly no electrician or engineer. | 0:09:59 | 0:10:02 | |
Putting it into perspective, I've got that here. | 0:10:03 | 0:10:07 | |
Giovanni Pellielo - arguably the best shot that's ever shot Olympic trap - | 0:10:07 | 0:10:11 | |
he's got his own 15-trap set-up, proper thing at home in Italy, | 0:10:11 | 0:10:15 | |
so that's what I'm competing against. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:18 | |
But in all honestly, I'm quite lucky | 0:10:18 | 0:10:21 | |
because not many people can come out into their back garden | 0:10:21 | 0:10:24 | |
and have a shot when they feel like it. | 0:10:24 | 0:10:26 | |
I don't need a lot of practice, | 0:10:26 | 0:10:28 | |
I just need a wee bit to keep my eye in. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:30 | |
The top guys in the world, | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
they're probably using 40,000 cartridges a year. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:37 | |
This year - I just clocked it up, there. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:39 | |
After the Commonwealth Games, it will be about 6,500 cartridges. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:43 | |
That's the difference in a full-time shot and a part-time shot. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:49 | |
I just try and compete with what I've got, you know? | 0:10:52 | 0:10:56 | |
I've had a good year - this summer, I've been shooting for the British team, | 0:10:56 | 0:11:00 | |
I've made it to number one in GB now, | 0:11:00 | 0:11:02 | |
so all these wee things are just backing me up. | 0:11:02 | 0:11:06 | |
But coming back and getting a chance to shoot for your own country, | 0:11:06 | 0:11:10 | |
that's the pinnacle of it all. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:12 | |
No-one's ever - from Scotland - come away with a medal. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:17 | |
I'm confident I'll get a medal, yeah. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
Roll on Delhi, aye. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:23 | |
Hours before Shonnie is due to fly to Delhi, | 0:11:25 | 0:11:27 | |
he is still entertaining a shooting party from Germany. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:32 | |
I'll certainly miss all this, yeah. | 0:11:32 | 0:11:34 | |
It's the first time ever I've been away during the hunting season | 0:11:34 | 0:11:38 | |
so if I come back with a gold medal, I'll be happy enough so. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:41 | |
All the other events that I've shot this year, | 0:11:44 | 0:11:46 | |
the big events, I've switched off, you know? | 0:11:46 | 0:11:49 | |
No bother at all, it's been no problem. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
But this is a special time of year because of the feeling you get | 0:11:52 | 0:11:55 | |
when the stags are rutting, the roaring's going - | 0:11:55 | 0:11:58 | |
it's a great time of year. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:00 | |
-Are you getting excited now, John? -Not really, no. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:02 | |
-Oh, you are! -I'm not! It's everyone else who's getting hyped! | 0:12:02 | 0:12:06 | |
With his business in safe hands, | 0:12:17 | 0:12:20 | |
Shonnie turns his attention to packing. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:22 | |
-There's your fudge brownie. -Oh, well. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:27 | |
Oh is that... There's not more than that, no? | 0:12:27 | 0:12:29 | |
-I can't fit anymore, unless you want the huge, big...? -Maybe, aye. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:33 | |
I'm hoping he's OK away from home, because he's a bit of a home bird. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:37 | |
It's not really in John to be going to Delhi and things like that. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:41 | |
The most important thing of the lot would be the kilt. | 0:12:41 | 0:12:44 | |
That's obviously for the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony | 0:12:44 | 0:12:49 | |
and to woo the women as well, you know? | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
He thinks I'm going to miss him so much when he's away | 0:12:52 | 0:12:56 | |
but he's got another thing coming. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:59 | |
All the best. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:01 | |
It's 5am and Shonnie says his goodbyes | 0:13:01 | 0:13:04 | |
before heading to Glasgow Airport. | 0:13:04 | 0:13:06 | |
-And phone us. -Aye, I will do, aye. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
Remember us, here. | 0:13:11 | 0:13:13 | |
Won't be doing that to Emma. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:16 | |
Medal. Definite. If not, doesn't matter. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:20 | |
Right, off you go, now. | 0:13:20 | 0:13:22 | |
Right, good luck. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:24 | |
BEEPING | 0:13:27 | 0:13:29 | |
I can't believe it, I can't believe that's him | 0:13:29 | 0:13:32 | |
away to the Commonwealth really, but, yeah, very proud. | 0:13:32 | 0:13:37 | |
I'm really proud of him, really proud. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:42 | |
Good to see him in the uniform | 0:13:42 | 0:13:44 | |
and just hope that he does his best and I know he's capable of doing it. | 0:13:44 | 0:13:49 | |
Can't get a better day to leave Moidart, anyway. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:52 | |
The stags were roaring last night so they were saying goodbye to you. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:56 | |
That's a good memory to take with us. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:58 | |
Once you get across the ferry, for me, that's it, | 0:13:59 | 0:14:03 | |
switch off and away we go. | 0:14:03 | 0:14:04 | |
This is the best team we've had for many, many years. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
If they do not win a medal, I will be amazed. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:23 | |
It's exciting, isn't it? | 0:14:33 | 0:14:34 | |
Don't get shot. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:42 | |
Who's going to shoot me? | 0:14:42 | 0:14:44 | |
I don't know. Somebody might shoot you. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:47 | |
Good luck with everything. | 0:14:47 | 0:14:49 | |
Bye, babe. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:50 | |
You'll be fine. I love you. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:52 | |
When I come back down that one, I'll have a medal. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:01 | |
This is six days we've been here, our cartridges haven't arrived | 0:15:30 | 0:15:34 | |
so it's a bit of a nightmare, we can't really train. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:38 | |
I haven't been feeling very good at all. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
In terms of thinking about home, it's pretty hard, actually. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:44 | |
I'm missing it like hell, in all honesty. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:47 | |
Here we are on day seven. | 0:15:47 | 0:15:50 | |
It's been, pretty much, the most difficult one yet. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:53 | |
Although I'm not meant to know what's going on back home, | 0:15:53 | 0:15:57 | |
Andy, my best friend, | 0:15:57 | 0:15:58 | |
who's helping me out with the stalking while I'm away, | 0:15:58 | 0:16:01 | |
there was bad news about his wife - she was rushed to hospital - | 0:16:01 | 0:16:04 | |
so obviously that leaves everyone with a bit of a problem at home. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:08 | |
I've been thinking about it all last night, too, so in all honesty, | 0:16:08 | 0:16:11 | |
I never got a wink of sleep. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:13 | |
We've got a big day tomorrow, we've got the opening ceremony, | 0:16:14 | 0:16:18 | |
so everyone at home, hopefully, will be watching that | 0:16:18 | 0:16:22 | |
and maybe see me, somewhere. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:24 | |
Here we go. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:28 | |
Absolutely fantastic, great feeling, what an atmosphere - wow. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:42 | |
Pretty much a dream come true, here. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
Despite missing out on a bronze for the pairs shooting round | 0:16:54 | 0:16:58 | |
by just one target, Shonnie's overall solo attempts | 0:16:58 | 0:17:03 | |
were disappointing and he failed to qualify for the final. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
Still feeling unwell and struggling to manage difficulties at home, | 0:17:06 | 0:17:10 | |
Shonnie flew back a week earlier than expected | 0:17:10 | 0:17:12 | |
without a medal for Scotland. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:15 | |
Reflecting on the year that's gone, | 0:17:15 | 0:17:17 | |
it's been, in all honesty, an amazing year for me. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:21 | |
I've been in certain corners of the world that I would never, | 0:17:21 | 0:17:24 | |
ever have dreamed that I would have been there, | 0:17:24 | 0:17:28 | |
so it's opened my eyes up to the world a hell of a lot. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:32 | |
My first plan was to, obviously, | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
represent Scotland at the Commonwealths, which I've achieved. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:39 | |
Not as well as I should have, | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
but it was a good achievement even being there. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
Really, the Olympics would be the ultimate goal, | 0:17:44 | 0:17:48 | |
and knowing what I'm capable of, I feel that it's something I can grasp. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:54 | |
It's a big year ahead. Once I came back from the Commonwealth Games, | 0:17:54 | 0:17:58 | |
I wanted to rid myself of the whole thing and I want to start fresh. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:02 | |
With the turn of the year now, | 0:18:02 | 0:18:04 | |
adrenaline's going and it's just starting to wind up a bit more now. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:09 | |
The nearer I get to Sydney, that's when I'll really start drawing in. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:13 | |
I guess everybody gets homesick to a degree, | 0:18:13 | 0:18:15 | |
but I love my home more than anything. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:17 | |
The more I'm away and the more of these events I'm at, | 0:18:17 | 0:18:21 | |
I'll hopefully get better at being away. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:24 | |
The home of MacDonald, there it is. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
It's scenes like that that really spur you on and give you heart. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:35 | |
It's been the breeding ground for many a good murderer and so on, so... | 0:18:35 | 0:18:40 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:18:40 | 0:18:42 | |
..hopefully it will be a breeding ground | 0:18:42 | 0:18:44 | |
for a good Olympian sportsman from Moidart. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:47 | |
On Hogmanay, the family prepare for their annual gig. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:55 | |
-Are we going in then, aye? -Yeah. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:57 | |
I said a seat right by the stage, so I can keep an eye on you. | 0:18:57 | 0:19:02 | |
You should be as far away as possible, | 0:19:02 | 0:19:04 | |
-so I can look at all the birds. -Aye, I'll be watching that roaming eye. | 0:19:04 | 0:19:08 | |
It's normally just Hugh, Dad and myself when he's away gallivanting. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:13 | |
Even if there's no medals to come home, | 0:19:13 | 0:19:15 | |
we're very proud that he's there, | 0:19:15 | 0:19:17 | |
representing Scotland and Britain at everything that he does. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:21 | |
We get by, but it's nice when he's here, it's nice when he is back. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:24 | |
So many things have happened this year, it's been absolutely incredible. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:40 | |
The Commonwealth Games, becoming number one in Britain, | 0:19:40 | 0:19:42 | |
it's been absolutely amazing - amazing. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:45 | |
2011, I would say a diamond ring and quota place for Sydney! | 0:19:48 | 0:19:54 | |
Slainte mhor! | 0:19:54 | 0:19:55 | |
Three, two, one, happy new year! | 0:19:55 | 0:20:00 | |
BAGPIPES PLAY | 0:20:02 | 0:20:06 | |
Shonnie travels to the other side of the world | 0:20:12 | 0:20:15 | |
to represent Team GB at the World Cup in Sydney, Australia. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:19 | |
Due to financial reasons, like Delhi, once again | 0:20:23 | 0:20:26 | |
Shonnie is travelling without Emma or the family to support him. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:29 | |
The Olympic team will be selected, really, on the performances | 0:20:36 | 0:20:40 | |
at the major international overseas events | 0:20:40 | 0:20:43 | |
leading up to the Olympic Games. | 0:20:43 | 0:20:45 | |
This is the second World Cup of four this year, | 0:20:45 | 0:20:48 | |
each World Cup having two quota slots. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:50 | |
The big thing now is to win the second quota place | 0:20:50 | 0:20:53 | |
which will then mean that two shooters | 0:20:53 | 0:20:55 | |
will represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games. | 0:20:55 | 0:20:58 | |
This is very important - very important indeed. | 0:20:58 | 0:21:01 | |
After spending the week acclimatising | 0:21:02 | 0:21:06 | |
and getting over jet lag, the three-day competition gets underway. | 0:21:06 | 0:21:11 | |
Shonnie will shoot a total of 125 clays over three days. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:15 | |
He will compete in five rounds, each worth 25 points, | 0:21:15 | 0:21:19 | |
with the hope of winning a place at the coveted final at the end of the competition. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:24 | |
A bit of a nasty start. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:27 | |
Halfway through the round, Shonnie decides to change his technique. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:32 | |
I started looking higher. It felt absolutely great. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:34 | |
You'll not notice anything, unless I stand on one leg | 0:21:34 | 0:21:38 | |
or pull my shorts down at the back a wee bit. HE LAUGHS | 0:21:38 | 0:21:41 | |
At this level, it's not good enough. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:45 | |
If I've got any chance of doing it, I'll probably have to shoot | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
pretty much straight now. There's a team talk at 6:30 tonight | 0:21:48 | 0:21:53 | |
and those of us who need our bums smacked or booted will get that. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
After a disappointing first day, | 0:22:05 | 0:22:06 | |
the pressure is mounting for Shonnie to up his game. | 0:22:06 | 0:22:11 | |
-How are you? -Tired. And you? | 0:22:11 | 0:22:13 | |
23, 22, 22 - not good enough. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:30 | |
It's unlikely now that I would ever get near the final, | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
but back to the drawing board - never give up. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:37 | |
# I guess it's still worth fighting for... # | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
On a rare afternoon away from the ground, Shonnie has time to reflect. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:46 | |
It's kind of just dawned on me where I am after 11 days. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:51 | |
It really is spectacular. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:53 | |
I wish I was standing here knowing that I'd shot | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
probably 74 out of 75 and then I would be pretty happy. | 0:22:56 | 0:22:59 | |
This is great just to see, but that's as far as it would ever go. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:05 | |
I wouldn't swap my humble little abode at home with the deer surrounding us | 0:23:05 | 0:23:10 | |
and whatnot, so, no, definitely not. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:13 | |
Is that you, Ems? I know you're asleep, but I had to phone you. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:20 | |
I'm down at the Sydney Bridge and the Opera House and that just now. | 0:23:20 | 0:23:25 | |
It would be nice if you were here. Maybe I'd shoot better. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:28 | |
Yeah, I love you, too. Get back to sleep now. | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
Bye, Emma. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
Bye. | 0:23:33 | 0:23:35 | |
She's wishing she was here. Quite sad, though, eh? | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
After shooting 45 out of 50 on day one | 0:23:50 | 0:23:53 | |
and 22 out of 25 on day two, | 0:23:53 | 0:23:55 | |
has Shonnie's sightseeing trip revitalised him | 0:23:55 | 0:23:59 | |
for the all-important day three - his last chance to make the final? | 0:23:59 | 0:24:04 | |
24, so it seems too little, too late, | 0:24:09 | 0:24:16 | |
but if I can finish on a high, anyway, | 0:24:16 | 0:24:18 | |
that's something to take to the next place, wherever I go. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:21 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
Another 24, so it's pretty cool. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:41 | |
You know, your back's to the wall and then you pull that out of the bag. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:45 | |
Possibly 119 will make the final. I'm 115, so four targets off that, | 0:24:45 | 0:24:53 | |
which as I say, is not disastrous, but it's not good enough, basically. | 0:24:53 | 0:24:58 | |
So next time. Beijing, here we come, all guns blazing. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:05 | |
John shot very steady. A little bit disappointed, probably, | 0:25:08 | 0:25:11 | |
with the first couple of rounds, | 0:25:11 | 0:25:13 | |
but as the competition went on | 0:25:13 | 0:25:16 | |
he got more confident, began to flow, | 0:25:16 | 0:25:19 | |
and John, you know, has finished | 0:25:19 | 0:25:21 | |
as the high-scorer of the Great Britain three-man team. | 0:25:21 | 0:25:25 | |
Yeah, he's a consistent performer. | 0:25:25 | 0:25:27 | |
Despite shooting the best score out of the GB team, | 0:25:27 | 0:25:32 | |
it wasn't enough for Shonnie to win the quota place for Team GB. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:35 | |
The saying that rings in my mind is, | 0:25:35 | 0:25:38 | |
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." | 0:25:38 | 0:25:42 | |
That's how I kind of... how I view things and move on. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:45 | |
Following another World Cup in Beijing and some important UK selection shoots, | 0:25:47 | 0:25:51 | |
the GB rankings have now been reordered. | 0:25:51 | 0:25:55 | |
It's not good news for Shonnie. | 0:25:56 | 0:25:57 | |
He is now sitting at number four in the UK, | 0:25:57 | 0:26:01 | |
one short of the all-important top three which make up Team GB | 0:26:01 | 0:26:05 | |
for the next round of World Cups and the last remaining chances | 0:26:05 | 0:26:09 | |
of winning a crucial quota place that would allow two shooters | 0:26:09 | 0:26:12 | |
to represent Great Britain at the London Olympics. | 0:26:12 | 0:26:15 | |
He comes to Glasgow to reflect on the last six months. | 0:26:15 | 0:26:19 | |
This year, I've lived the life of, what I would call a professional shooter, | 0:26:19 | 0:26:22 | |
to a degree and, actually, it hasn't suited me at all. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:26 | |
After the Beijing World Cup, I think I was still lying number one. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:33 | |
We got back and it was the beginning of the British selection shoots, | 0:26:33 | 0:26:37 | |
and you know, I was confident, | 0:26:37 | 0:26:39 | |
I felt good going to these things but performed really, really badly. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:43 | |
It's shot me back out of the team and it's blown my chances | 0:26:43 | 0:26:49 | |
of everything that I've been hoping for. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:53 | |
Now, looking at it all, I took away my kind of natural edge | 0:26:53 | 0:26:58 | |
by practising so much. It was doing probably more harm for me than good. | 0:26:58 | 0:27:02 | |
For my Olympic dream, anyway, it's looking slim. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:05 | |
I feel now it's probably too late and I feel that | 0:27:05 | 0:27:09 | |
I've let everybody down to a degree. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:12 | |
Realistically, I'm looking at the Commonwealth Games here now in 2014. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:17 | |
I'm sitting here, all the boys are at the World Championships in Belgrade, | 0:27:17 | 0:27:21 | |
and you know, there's nothing I can do | 0:27:21 | 0:27:24 | |
and it is an awful feeling, you know. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:26 | |
Sadly, this time, I think it's going to get away from me, you know. | 0:27:26 | 0:27:30 | |
I think you can see how much it does mean. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:43 | |
If it was my own choice, I wouldn't let this lie, | 0:27:44 | 0:27:49 | |
and even for the next Olympics, | 0:27:49 | 0:27:55 | |
I would make it, like. Yeah, definitely. | 0:27:55 | 0:28:00 | |
In the grand scheme of things, well, to me, it seems very trivial, | 0:28:00 | 0:28:04 | |
but I guess it's nice as well. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
I've been instructed that I'm the most-successful shooter | 0:28:07 | 0:28:11 | |
that Scotland's ever had, but at the end of the day it's, for me, | 0:28:11 | 0:28:15 | |
it's not enough, you know. It'll always be digging at me. | 0:28:15 | 0:28:21 | |
# Resolute at the threshold | 0:28:44 | 0:28:46 | |
# Of the North Sea of my mind | 0:28:46 | 0:28:50 | |
# And a nod to the boredom that drove me here | 0:28:50 | 0:28:53 | |
# To face the tide and swim... # | 0:28:53 | 0:28:56 |